Global computer networks, such as the Internet, enable information to be distributed to a wide range of people at locations around the world. One of the advantages of the Internet is that the communication protocols used are non-proprietary, thus enabling end users to access and use the Internet without the need for customized hardware or software. Many different industries use computer networks as a way to provide their customers with quick access to vast amounts of data. In these industries, the speed at which both secure and non-secure data is provided to remote users is of utmost importance and is often an area of distinctiveness for businesses. In some instances, the businesses utilize FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and/or HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) servers that communicate with a Content Distribution Management System for distribution of information. The Content Distribution Management System can include a plethora of content management servers that store data at a location close to consumption entities, such as consumers, businesses, and devices (e.g., consumption application servers). Typically, the consumption entities retrieve data from content management servers by checking if new data has arrived from time to time.
Content management servers are typically configured close to one or more publication entities, such as individual publishers, business publishers, and devices (e.g., publication application servers). Often, publication application servers are located in different geographies and locations that facilitate data collection for publication without regard to where consumption entities are located. Thus, there tends to be a plethora of content management servers with specific content that are disbursed throughout these systems at locations based at least in part on the geographic location of publisher entities.
Various problems can arise with such configurations. For example, in large enterprise organizations or an organization serving a large dispersed population of systems or users, there are many different geographic regions or data centers, each with their own ability to host computer based systems needing timely access to data produced elsewhere in the organization. Typically, these computer based systems poll one or more content management servers for the data it desires and subsequently downloads that data from one of the content management servers if it is present. This results in the same data being accessed from non-cache memory and then copied multiple times from a same content management server, which is inefficient.
In addition, with a large number of consumption entities interested in same data, each consumption entity determines when to download newly arriving data from one or more content management server. This results in consumption entities tending to continually poll content management servers to determine if new content has arrived, which is inefficient use of computer resources.
Further, with multiple content management servers configured in these systems, it is difficult for consumption entities to determine what data on which content management server is available and should be downloaded. It is also increasingly difficult for consumption entities to determine which one of the multiple content management servers to access to retrieve data of interest.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved systems and techniques for storing and distributing information to consumption entities.